MixedThe Toronto Star (CAN)The novel sparkles most when Kay recalls his days as a drag performer at clubs like Epic or Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, where he is better known as Queen Kay on the stage, throwing shade, kiki-ing with the other queens, and falling in love with Evan ... However, what the novel earns in these moments of charm, pacing and thrill, it diminishes with its frequent pedantries. Too often the characters announce, unprovoked, who they are, their politics, their identities, like a badge. Otherwise unnamed and unobserved characters get they/them pronouns, alerted with an asterisk, and, indelible, is the chant white allies of the resistance all over the country perform while lunging and holding staffs above their heads ... Perhaps one of these uncomfortable, performative exchanges could be overlooked, but they occur so often that one begins to question Hernandez’s confidence in her characters to illustrate the story and her readers to understand it ... Hernandez’s storytelling throughout is compelling, and she builds tension and intrigue as the story moves forward, leaving the reader ravenous for the outcome of this war ... However, as she aims to ensure everyone and every cause is included, she leaves very little, in terms of the character and values of the people in these pages, to be presumed or interpreted by her reader. From Palestine, to pipelines, to transgender people and bathroom access, to gender neutral pronouns, to the sterilization of Indigenous women, to the policing of Black lives, every relevant and contemporary socio-political issue is given occasion. It illustrates, perhaps, that being included, in and of itself, is not enough, and shouldn’t be the goal. Still, even in these moments where Hernandez misses the mark, it is strikingly apparent what she is striving for — to decentre whiteness. This is no easy task, and her only fault, perhaps, is that she has taken on too much ... Still, Hernandez’s novel brings Toronto, as it is known by its Queer Black, Brown, and Indigenous residents, to life. A rare and wonderful and formidable feat.
